Islamabad: Pakistani authorities have banned
four organisations, including a front for the Sipah-e-Sahaba, on charges of involvement in promoting sectarianism and ethnic violence.
The Interior Ministry has issued a notification banning
the People`s Aman Committee, Shia Talba Action Committee,
Tanzeem Naujawanan Ahl-e-Sunnat of Gilgit-Baltistan and
Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat, a front for the proscribed
Sipah-e-Sahaba.
The notification was sent to all four provinces and
authorities in Gilgit-Baltistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir,
officials said.
The Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat (ASWJ) was formed after the
government banned the Sipah-e-Sahaba for its involvement in
sectarian violence across the country.
The ASWJ is a key player in the Defa-e-Pakistan Council,
an alliance of over 40 hardline and extremist groups cobbled
together by Lashkar-e-Toiba founder Hafiz Mohammad Saeed.
The People`s Aman Committee is active in Karachi, especially in Liyari area and has been linked to ethnic and
political violence and target killings.
The Shia Talba Action Committee and Tanzeem Naujawanan
Ahl-e-Sunnat were recently established in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Both groups have been accused of involvement in sectarian
violence.
Reports said most members of the Defa-e-Pakistan Council have decided to protest the ban on the Ahl-e-Sunnat Wal Jamaat.
PTI
